When it Happened
by Ariadnerue
Summary: Percy/Annabeth, oneshot. Athena has been keeping an eye on that boy dating her daughter, so she's the only witness when IT happens.


Disclaimer: Percy Jackson & The Olympians belongs to Rick Riordan

This takes place sometime after The Last Olympian I guess. Enjoy!

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There are some things all demigods have in common. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Dyslexia. One parent with a tendency to turn mortals into trees or animals or corpses. But if you were to choose two demigods who had the least in common, you would come face-to-face with Camp Half-Blood's power couple: Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase.

Everyone on the planet aware of the existence of Greek Gods was also aware of the existence of Percy and Annabeth. They had, after all, saved the world. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, able to breathe underwater and talk to horses, master swordsman, invulnerable, pigheaded, and perhaps a bit on the dim side. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, brilliant architect, fierce warrior, professional monster killer since age seven, stubborn, smart as a whip, and pretty as sin.

So how the heck could to two of them manage as a couple?

They bickered constantly, poked fun at each other's expense more often than not, but they were rarely out of each other's company. They could often be found at the lake or by the seashore, unabashedly making out regardless of the venue. After every bickering match, every round of angry shouting, every harsh word exchanged, they would storm away from each other only to turn up in some quiet place, connected at the hands or the lips, heads tilted together as they whispered and smiled and exchanged glances that only they could understand.

He was gentle with her, like she might break, whenever they touched. She was obviously not in need of such consideration, but it still made her blush and she couldn't help liking it. Independent woman or not, chivalry still had its place, and Percy Jackson of all people knew it. As such, she was usually the instigator when it came to something they probably weren't allowed to do. Locking to door of the Athena cabin to give them some privacy was her idea. Sneaking out to the lake in the middle of the night was her idea. The now infamous Big House Broom Closet Incident was her idea. But Percy usually took the fall for her.

All of this was observed by the other attendees of Camp Half-Blood, their classmates and teachers at school, Percy's mother and stepdad, Annabeth's father and stepfamily, and of course, their _other_ parents. Because Percy and Annabeth spent their weekdays in school, their weeknights with their families, their weekends at Camp Half-Blood, and their Fridays on Mouth Olympus. Annabeth was, after all, in charge of the reconstruction. So every Friday morning Percy would be waiting at Annabeth's door while she gathered her essentials. Yankee's cap, sketchpad, stack of architecture books, brand spanking new celestial bronze knife. And the two of them would head to the top floor of the Empire State Building and spend the day lounging in a quiet corner of Olympus while Annabeth sketched and designed and Percy did his best to distract her. Hephaestus would collect the finished designs and make them into reality, and so did the new Olympus slowly take shape.

Poseidon openly liked Annabeth and greeted her warmly when she arrived with his son. He generally left them alone, only bothering them when he wanted to compliment Annabeth's work (and perhaps snag some ideas for his undersea home) or speak with Percy. Athena, on the other hand, ignored Percy completely. She greeted her daughter when she arrived, spoke briefly about her new ideas, and went on her way. Little did they know, she was watching them all the time. At Camp, at school, at home, on Olympus, whenever they were together she was watching from the corner of her eye.

After all that had transpired in the last few years, she was fiercely protective of Annabeth over all her other children. She tried not to be, but she couldn't help it. The girl was brilliant and deadly, just like her mother. So she would not have some _boy_, especially not her stupid uncle's son, breaking Annabeth's heart. She figured it was just a matter of time before the two of them ceased to be a couple. After all, how could two people with so little in common put up with each other for much longer?

So imagine her surprise when Athena was the only witness when _it_ happened.

They were alone at Percy's house on an unassuming Wednesday night, Percy propped up against his headboard and Annabeth in front of him, her back to his chest as she scribbled on the back of the homework she'd been helping him with. His chin was on her shoulder, watching as the errant lines from her pen slowly transformed into a magnificent building. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. She flinched, like she always did when he got this close to her because she still wasn't quite used to this sort of intimacy, but he didn't take it personally so he gave her the half second it took her to relax.

"What was that for?" she asked quietly, a smile in her voice and her pen poised above the rumpled sheet of notebook paper.

"You're just amazing is all," he said with a shrug. "I mean… I couldn't make a stick figure to save my life, but you can create whole cities on the back of my cruddy algebra homework." She grinned, blushing, and he cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Just don't… get a swelled head about it or anything, eh Wise Girl?"

She snorted with laughter and elbowed him in the ribs. He was about to reciprocate by tickling her mercilessly, but his alarm clock beeped once to signify the hour, and that meant Annabeth had to leave. Percy pouted as she packed her books into her messenger bag and slid out of his embrace. He whined all the way to the front door, where she gave him a kiss goodnight and stepped out into the hall.

"Goodnight Percy," she said, smiling fondly at him as she turned and started down the hall. He sighed in a rather exaggerated fashion and leaned against the doorframe.

"Okay fine, goodnight. Love you," he replied.

Annabeth froze. Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder. Percy was standing stock-still in the doorway, wide eyed and bright red. His mouth hung half open, and he teetered slightly, completely unsure of what to do. Annabeth turned to face him, five yards and two words of space between them.

"Percy," she began quietly. His eyes flicked up to her face. "Did you… did you just say you love me?"

He clamped his mouth shut and, blinking rapidly, nodded once. She just stood there, looking at him, until he literally squirmed under her scrutiny.

"Look," he began hurriedly. "I didn't mean to… I mean it just sort of slipped out…" She continued staring at him and he glued his eyes to his feet, hands deep in his pockets. "I… I did mean it though." He heard her inhale sharply in surprise, but he didn't look up. Instead, the words just started tumbling out of his mouth in an unbroken stream. "I never told you about the River Styx and how I became invulnerable because Achilles' ghost was there and he said I had to focus on one part of me that would remain vulnerable and so I chose well you know the place I chose and I'm still not completely sure how you knew without me telling you but I think it has something to do with that fact that you are my vulnerability because when I was under the water I was concentrating on that one spot and I saw all my friends and family and then I saw you and you pulled me out of the water and you were like my lifeline so I think that connected us somehow and I didn't mean for you to get stabbed or anything and I'm still really sorry about that but you said all the children of the Gods have a weakness and yours is hubris or whatever and your mom said my weakness could destroy the world and I figured out my weakness is love because I would have given the world for you because I love you."

A ringing silence filled the hallway. Several moments later, when Percy built up the courage to look up at her, her book bag had slid to the floor and her mouth was hanging open a bit. For a moment, he thought he could see tears in her wide eyes before she swallowed hard, and a ghost of a smile grew on her lips.

The next thing he knew, she had taken three steps and jumped into his arms, knocking his head into the wall from the force of her lips meeting his. But neither of them noticed his head hitting the wall or losing their balance and tumbling to the floor. Her lips didn't leave his until she'd righted herself and pinned him to the ground, sitting on his waist with her fingers in his hair.

"You know, Seaweed Brain," she began breathlessly, meeting his eyes in a smoldering gaze. "You could have just said yes." He blinked, confused for a moment, but then she leaned down and whispered in his ear. "I love you, Percy."

They didn't leave the floor until Percy's mom and stepdad came home to find the door wide open and the two of them leaning against the wall in the entryway with their eyes closed comfortably, Annabeth's head on Percy's shoulder and his arm around her waist while he whispered, soft things that made her red lips curve into a smile and a blush creep across her face. It took a lot of explaining on Percy's part after Annabeth had run off, blurting something about curfew before kissing him swiftly and calling "Night, Percy! Love you!" over her shoulder as she tore down the hallway.

Friday of the same week, Percy and Annabeth went to the Empire State Building as they always did. They entered the elevator and pushed the button for their floor as they always did. They got bored halfway up and started making out as they always did. But this time, when the door slid open to reveal Annabeth pinned to the wall with her hands in Percy's hair and his lips on hers, someone was waiting to greet them.

Annabeth noticed her first. She opened her eyes for a few seconds to see if they had arrived, but they went wide immediately and she turned her head so fast her neck cricked.

"Mom," she blurted in shock. Percy stiffened and jumped back from her so fast, you could have missed it if you blinked.

"Athena," he burst out when he turned to face her, holding his hands up defensively as if she would hit him. "I mean ma'am… or your highness… or um… uh…"

"Hello Annabeth," Athena said in a voice of deadly calm, her arms crossed over her chest and her burning grey eyes fixed on Percy.

"Hello mother," Annabeth replied, her voice rather small and somewhat miserable.

"Why don't you go on," Athena replied calmly. "I'd like to speak to Percy in private."

Annabeth didn't move. Percy and Athena both looked at her. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she was giving her mother a surprisingly hard look.

"Alright," she said evenly. "I'll go. But I won't be going very far."

She moved swiftly from the elevator, glaring over her shoulder, and Percy couldn't help but wonder if she had just threatened her mother who also happened to be a god. Athena seemed amused by this, however, so Percy relaxed. For about a second.

"So," she began. He shuffled his feet anxiously, trying to maintain eye contact. "So."

Percy was running through everything she could do to him right now, and his options weren't looking good. She could turn him into a frog or a shrub or… or she could just vaporize him or something. He gulped.

Athena sighed and put her hands on her hips. "My daughter is fond of you," she said levelly. Then she leaned down toward him and pointed a finger in his face. "I don't understand it really, but she loves you, so I won't kill you." Then her eyes narrowed and Percy's life flashed before his eyes. It sucked. "But if you break her heart, not Poseidon, Zeus, or Hades will be able to stop me from ending you. Got it?"

He nodded vigorously. "Yes ma'am, of course, I mean, I'd never, you know, Annabeth is, she's just…" he managed to stop himself from stammering long enough to look her nervously in the eye. "She's perfect." Then his shoulders slumped and his eyes turned to his shoes. "If anything… she'll be the one to break my heart. I mean look at her," he sighed, glancing past Athena to where Annabeth was settling on the grass beneath an olive tree. "She's beautiful. And she's a genius. And she can do a lot better than a jerk like me."

Percy thought he saw her smile for a moment, but maybe it was his imagination.

"Perhaps I've misjudged you, Percy Jackson," she said, and her tone was noticeably lighter. "I've seen what lengths you would go to for her. But I've also seen the same from Annabeth, so don't be so quick to give up on yourself."

Percy looked up at her, and his ears turned red. "Thanks," he muttered. "I'm uh… I'm in love with her, you know?"

"Alright then," she replied after a long pause, and Percy could tell by her tone that the conversation was over. He cleared his throat awkwardly and sidestepped his way out of the elevator. He only waited until he was out of sight before he broke into a sprint and collapsed when he found Annabeth. She was so startled by both his sudden appearance and his collapsing in relief that she called Percy "sweetheart" by accident and he spent the rest of the day teasing her for it. She got him back, however, by pretending her mother was standing right behind him. He nearly jumped out of his shoes, and she doubled over laughing at the sight. Percy stopped teasing her.

With a resigned sigh, Athena decided she could leave them alone. She wouldn't ignore them, oh no. But she could probably afford to not watch them at school or at home. She shook her head wonderingly. The two of them were so different, but she had seen the lengths they would go to for each other.

If that wasn't love, she didn't know what was.


End file.
